Choosing the Best Hardwood Floor Colors That Never Go Out of Style
Some people are always on the lookout for the next big home decor trend, whether that’s chunky knitted blankets, hygge accents, bold wallpapers, or grey hardwood floors.
Trendy choices can be fun and give your home a vibrant energy boost, but they can also backfire in the long term. Interior design trends, unless they are good enough to become a mainstay in every homeowner’s toolbox, are exactly what they sound like— trends.
Trends come and go like the seasons, which can leave some of us exhausted with design whiplash. If you fall into the category of folks who wish to return to the classic, timeless style that past generations have worked so hard to perfect, you’re in luck because we’ve got some great tips for you.
Here’s your guide to choosing a hardwood floor color and finish that will stay in style forever, no trends required.
Look to the Past
While decor trends are all about looking to the future and finding the next big thing, achieving a classic, elegant home requires looking to the past for inspiration. You can look at what types of flooring are used in older, stately homes to see materials from previous eras and determine which ones resonate with your style.
Unlike the cookie-cutter homes of today, old homes are all different and incorporate a wide variety of flooring types and colors. There are so many options from which to choose, such as decadent oak seen in estates on the West Coast or the distressed, light-toned boards used in beach houses in the Northeast.
Put Your Own Spin on It
Decorating in a classic style doesn’t mean conforming to exactly what other people have done in the past— the key is to put your unique spin on stylish pieces that have stood the test of time. You can pick and choose from an assortment of design elements to select those that mesh with your aesthetic preferences and the needs of your household.
For example, you may love how light wood looks, but it’s not a great option for your home because you have young children and pets who make frequent messes. It’s important to consider not just the look and feel of the floor but also practicality. It would be best if you chose a floor that’s as beautiful as it is functional so that the boards will last a lifetime.
Determine Your Own Brand of Classic
There is a tremendous amount of variation under the umbrella of the so-called “classic” style, so don’t let the term limit your imagination.
Some achieve a classic look with neutral colors throughout their homes combined with high-quality furniture crafted from the finest materials and walls adorned with impressionist paintings. For others, the look is all about pairing bold colors and vivid artwork with subtle patterns and cozy furniture.
This complex, multi-faceted style of decor means something different to everyone, so it’s essential that you define what it means to you and take the necessary steps to achieve it.
If you fall into the camp where simplicity and understated elegance are paramount, make sure to keep this in mind when selecting the right floor for your home. You should select one that features a soft, lighter-toned color and a lightly brushed finish. These types of floors mesh well with neutral decorations and colors.
On the other hand, if you’re interested in creating a bold look that features classic decor elements throughout, you should choose a floor that’s available in a darker hue, like dark cherry or gray-brown. Contrasting your bold color choices with a darker floor will create a striking impression that draws in the eye.
Explore Our Vintage Series
Our Vintage Series of prefinished engineered hardwood, available in 7.5” and 9.5” plank widths, takes its inspiration from the traditional charm of the American coastlines. Each option features a tried, tested, and true style that is sure to add a touch of old-world elegance and durability to your home.
The eighteen color options and multiple finishes will transport you to a simpler time and evoke the allure of destinations across the country, like the beachy beauty of Providence Town or the cozy elegance of Georgetown.
- Bella Driftwood: Light, cool-toned oak with a smooth, matte finish. Works best for homes with a color palette featuring cooler colors, like beige, gray, black, and navy blue.
- Georgetown: Light, warm-toned oak with a brushed, matte finish. Works best for homes with a color palette featuring warmer colors, like red, beige, white, yellow, and amber.
- Hatteras: Mid-toned oak with a sleek, matte finish. Works best for homes with a color palette featuring warmer colors, like red, orange, beige, brown, and yellow.
- Old Charlestown: Mid-toned, pre-distressed oak with a matte finish. Works best for homes with a color palette featuring cooler colors, like blue, green, gray, white, and silver.
- Oyster Bay: Cool-toned oak with a smooth, matte finish. Works best for homes with a color palette featuring cooler colors, like dark blue, purple, charcoal, black, and white.
- Riverside French Oak: Classic, mid-toned oak with a sleek, matte finish. Works best for homes with a color palette featuring neutral colors, like beige, brown, charcoal, and cream.
- St. George: Soothing, mid-toned oak with a matte finish. Works best for homes with a color palette featuring warmer colors, like red, soft pink, copper, and light yellow.
- Surfside: Light, warm-toned oak with a smooth, beachy finish. Works best for homes with a color palette featuring warmer colors, like beige, light yellow, tan, and gold.
- Captiva: Light, neutral-toned oak with a brushed, matte finish. Works best for homes with a color palette featuring neutral colors, like gray, tan, charcoal, black, and muted navy.
- Delray: Rich, mid-toned walnut with a smooth, matte finish. Works best for homes with a color palette featuring warmer colors, like burgundy, brown, gold, and orange.
- Monterey Oak: Mid-toned, neutral oak with a smooth, matte finish. Works best for homes with a color palette featuring neutral colors, like muted yellow, muted blue, brown, and grey.
- Nantucket: Light, warm-toned oak with a smooth, matte finish. Works best for homes with a color palette featuring warmer colors, like orange, yellow, red, and gold.
- Oceanside Laguna: Vibrant, mid-toned oak with a matte finish. Works best for homes with a color palette featuring neutral colors, like brown, gray, dark red, and emerald green.
- Olde Salem: Mid-toned oak with green undertones and a matte finish. Works best for homes with a color palette featuring cooler colors, like blue, green, silver, and white.
- Providence Town: Rich, dark oak with a brushed, matte finish. Works best for homes with a color palette featuring warmer colors, like crimson, burnt orange, brown, and beige.
- Rustic Sands: Warm, mid-toned oak with a smooth, matte finish. Works best for homes with a color palette featuring warmer colors, like yellow, bright orange, red, and tan.
- Sanibel: Rosy, mid-toned oak with a brushed, matte finish. Works best for homes with a color palette featuring warmer colors, like pink, red, purple, and gold.
- Siesta Key: Neutral, mid-toned oak with a sleek, matte finish. Works best for homes with a color palette featuring neutral colors, like gray, white, muted yellow, and muted blue.
Benefits of Our Prefinished Engineered Hardwoods
Our Vintage Series floors are built tough to last. Each plank is crafted from carefully selected wood from Western Europe and Austria. We then hand-grade the wood to ensure the ultimate quality, tone, and pattern. After this, we treat it with our extra-durable, scratch-resistant coating.
We fuse the beauty of natural grain patterns and knotting with industry-leading treatments that will help your new floors last a lifetime. Each plank features:
- A layer of the natural wood product Hevea Brasiliensis, which provides dimensional stability and can withstand tremendous external pressure. It also holds up great against intense temperatures and excessive moisture.
- A balancing layer
- A wear layer crafted from European white oak, which is valued for its beauty and hardness ratings. The outer layer benefits from our proprietary process of smoking and fuming, which enables us to achieve beautiful color variations that traditional staining methods cannot accomplish.
Need Help Achieving the Classic Look?
If you’re not sure what floor will work best for you, contact us today, and our team of designers will be happy to help. We’ll assist you in choosing a floor that will look timelessly elegant and complement your personal decorating style.
Some people are always on the lookout for the next big home decor trend, whether that’s chunky knitted blankets, hygge accents, bold wallpapers, or grey hardwood floors.
Trendy choices can be fun and give your home a vibrant energy boost, but they can also backfire in the long term. Interior design trends, unless they are good enough to become a mainstay in every homeowner’s toolbox, are exactly what they sound like— trends.
Trends come and go like the seasons, which can leave some of us exhausted with design whiplash. If you fall into the category of folks who wish to return to the classic, timeless style that past generations have worked so hard to perfect, you’re in luck because we’ve got some great tips for you.
Here’s your guide to choosing a hardwood floor color and finish that will stay in style forever, no trends required.
Look to the Past
While decor trends are all about looking to the future and finding the next big thing, achieving a classic, elegant home requires looking to the past for inspiration. You can look at what types of flooring are used in older, stately homes to see materials from previous eras and determine which ones resonate with your style.
Unlike the cookie-cutter homes of today, old homes are all different and incorporate a wide variety of flooring types and colors. There are so many options from which to choose, such as decadent oak seen in estates on the West Coast or the distressed, light-toned boards used in beach houses in the Northeast.
Put Your Own Spin on It
Decorating in a classic style doesn’t mean conforming to exactly what other people have done in the past— the key is to put your unique spin on stylish pieces that have stood the test of time. You can pick and choose from an assortment of design elements to select those that mesh with your aesthetic preferences and the needs of your household.
For example, you may love how light wood looks, but it’s not a great option for your home because you have young children and pets who make frequent messes. It’s important to consider not just the look and feel of the floor but also practicality. It would be best if you chose a floor that’s as beautiful as it is functional so that the boards will last a lifetime.
Determine Your Own Brand of Classic
There is a tremendous amount of variation under the umbrella of the so-called “classic” style, so don’t let the term limit your imagination.
Some achieve a classic look with neutral colors throughout their homes combined with high-quality furniture crafted from the finest materials and walls adorned with impressionist paintings. For others, the look is all about pairing bold colors and vivid artwork with subtle patterns and cozy furniture.
This complex, multi-faceted style of decor means something different to everyone, so it’s essential that you define what it means to you and take the necessary steps to achieve it.
If you fall into the camp where simplicity and understated elegance are paramount, make sure to keep this in mind when selecting the right floor for your home. You should select one that features a soft, lighter-toned color and a lightly brushed finish. These types of floors mesh well with neutral decorations and colors.
On the other hand, if you’re interested in creating a bold look that features classic decor elements throughout, you should choose a floor that’s available in a darker hue, like dark cherry or gray-brown. Contrasting your bold color choices with a darker floor will create a striking impression that draws in the eye.
Explore Our Vintage Series
Our Vintage Series of prefinished engineered hardwood, available in 7.5” and 9.5” plank widths, takes its inspiration from the traditional charm of the American coastlines. Each option features a tried, tested, and true style that is sure to add a touch of old-world elegance and durability to your home.
The eighteen color options and multiple finishes will transport you to a simpler time and evoke the allure of destinations across the country, like the beachy beauty of Providence Town or the cozy elegance of Georgetown.
- Bella Driftwood: Light, cool-toned oak with a smooth, matte finish. Works best for homes with a color palette featuring cooler colors, like beige, gray, black, and navy blue.
- Georgetown: Light, warm-toned oak with a brushed, matte finish. Works best for homes with a color palette featuring warmer colors, like red, beige, white, yellow, and amber.
- Hatteras: Mid-toned oak with a sleek, matte finish. Works best for homes with a color palette featuring warmer colors, like red, orange, beige, brown, and yellow.
- Old Charlestown: Mid-toned, pre-distressed oak with a matte finish. Works best for homes with a color palette featuring cooler colors, like blue, green, gray, white, and silver.
- Oyster Bay: Cool-toned oak with a smooth, matte finish. Works best for homes with a color palette featuring cooler colors, like dark blue, purple, charcoal, black, and white.
- Riverside French Oak: Classic, mid-toned oak with a sleek, matte finish. Works best for homes with a color palette featuring neutral colors, like beige, brown, charcoal, and cream.
- St. George: Soothing, mid-toned oak with a matte finish. Works best for homes with a color palette featuring warmer colors, like red, soft pink, copper, and light yellow.
- Surfside: Light, warm-toned oak with a smooth, beachy finish. Works best for homes with a color palette featuring warmer colors, like beige, light yellow, tan, and gold.
- Captiva: Light, neutral-toned oak with a brushed, matte finish. Works best for homes with a color palette featuring neutral colors, like gray, tan, charcoal, black, and muted navy.
- Delray: Rich, mid-toned walnut with a smooth, matte finish. Works best for homes with a color palette featuring warmer colors, like burgundy, brown, gold, and orange.
- Monterey Oak: Mid-toned, neutral oak with a smooth, matte finish. Works best for homes with a color palette featuring neutral colors, like muted yellow, muted blue, brown, and grey.
- Nantucket: Light, warm-toned oak with a smooth, matte finish. Works best for homes with a color palette featuring warmer colors, like orange, yellow, red, and gold.
- Oceanside Laguna: Vibrant, mid-toned oak with a matte finish. Works best for homes with a color palette featuring neutral colors, like brown, gray, dark red, and emerald green.
- Olde Salem: Mid-toned oak with green undertones and a matte finish. Works best for homes with a color palette featuring cooler colors, like blue, green, silver, and white.
- Providence Town: Rich, dark oak with a brushed, matte finish. Works best for homes with a color palette featuring warmer colors, like crimson, burnt orange, brown, and beige.
- Rustic Sands: Warm, mid-toned oak with a smooth, matte finish. Works best for homes with a color palette featuring warmer colors, like yellow, bright orange, red, and tan.
- Sanibel: Rosy, mid-toned oak with a brushed, matte finish. Works best for homes with a color palette featuring warmer colors, like pink, red, purple, and gold.
- Siesta Key: Neutral, mid-toned oak with a sleek, matte finish. Works best for homes with a color palette featuring neutral colors, like gray, white, muted yellow, and muted blue.
Benefits of Our Prefinished Engineered Hardwoods
Our Vintage Series floors are built tough to last. Each plank is crafted from carefully selected wood from Western Europe and Austria. We then hand-grade the wood to ensure the ultimate quality, tone, and pattern. After this, we treat it with our extra-durable, scratch-resistant coating.
We fuse the beauty of natural grain patterns and knotting with industry-leading treatments that will help your new floors last a lifetime. Each plank features:
- A layer of the natural wood product Hevea Brasiliensis, which provides dimensional stability and can withstand tremendous external pressure. It also holds up great against intense temperatures and excessive moisture.
- A balancing layer
- A wear layer crafted from European white oak, which is valued for its beauty and hardness ratings. The outer layer benefits from our proprietary process of smoking and fuming, which enables us to achieve beautiful color variations that traditional staining methods cannot accomplish.
Need Help Achieving the Classic Look?
If you’re not sure what floor will work best for you, contact us today, and our team of designers will be happy to help. We’ll assist you in choosing a floor that will look timelessly elegant and complement your personal decorating style.